The Board remands the claim for a new VA examination and additional medical opinions to address the Veteran's respiratory conditions, including their potential relation to service and Camp Lejeune contaminated water exposure.
The deciding factor: The July 2023 and May 2024 VA examiners' opinions were found inadequate due to lack of consideration for the Veteran's lay reports of ongoing symptoms since service and other relevant evidence.
- Claimed conditions
- chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), asthma, chronic bronchitis, non-specific interstitial pneumonia
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- Camp Lejeune water
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 4, 2024
- Citation
- 24031493
What this means for you
A remand is not a loss. The Board sent the case back for more development — often a new exam or missing records — before making a final decision. Many remands later end in a grant, and the decision spells out exactly what the Board wanted to see.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
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The Veteran withdrew the appeals for service connection for bilateral pes planus, obstructive sleep apnea, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
- Granted
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- Partly granted
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- Denied
The Board denied service connection for various conditions, including sinusitis, elbows condition, cervical condition, erectile dysfunction, kidney condition, sleep apnea, wrists condition, asthma, shoulders condition, ankles condition, eye condition (bilateral dry macular degeneration), peripheral vascular disease (heart condition), and rhinitis.
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